Meandering through the dappled shade of the trees Zephyr’s itinerant tendencies had led him to one of the few area’s of solace contained within the sprawling urban jungle of New York City. Amid the gentle rise and fall of grassy hills and the whispered wind through the trees the air elemental wandered languidly among central parks other occupants, paying them heed enough only to ensure their paths never crossed so that his idle journey would remain unhindered.

Life had become rather undemanding recently; Antonescue had seemed to all but vanish since the eradication of the camps, thereby leaving him with little to no duties at the labs and with the still rather sullen mutant population looking for vengeance are their recent repressors most of the mercs other contacts had ample labour for their decidedly illegal ventures. All in all this left the elemental in a rather pleasant mood and he had spent the recent weeks strolling down every street and back alley he came across as he sought to ameliorate his knowledge of the city. Thus far his efforts had been rewarded with the discovery of an impeccable oriental restaurant, a bordello buried under the guise of a fortune telling establishment and an underground casino which also dealt in illegal arms. It truly had been a profitable few weeks, however as the owners of the aforementioned casino had started to regard him with some suspicion after his continuous success at roulette Simon had thought it best to avoid the establishment for the meantime and seek out other possible ventures.

Coming to a rest atop an unusually steep bank Zephyrs leant himself against the bark of a rather impressive willow whose hanging branches and slender leaves did much to mask his form from view. Though there was no need for such concealment but it had become a habit for the British mercenary; he was not paranoid by any means, he simply wished to enjoy a measure of privacy in order to fully appreciate the scene before him. It was a stark contrast to the constant noise and hectic movement of the city streets less than a mile away; there were no cars here, no vendors shouting their wares, only the calming whisper of the wind through the trees and the muted presence of others around him as they traveled at a sedate pace. Gradually the elemental allowed his mind to relax as he watched the world pass him by unheeded, finally shifting to a seated position against the aged willow as he turned his eyes skywards and gazed at the few patches of blue which could be seen through the web of branches, noting idly the score of kites which fluttered in the wind.

After the incident with the fire, Ghost subconsciously found herself wandering along the paths in the park more and more. The air was purer, more wholesome here and did wonders for replenishing whatever sacred elements had been consumed. Cracking the window in her room was not always enough. Sometimes, Ghost just had to make the trip to the only place in this smog-ridden city that seemed breathable.

Ghost was also in an undeniable good mood. Though she hadn't seen much of Garrett in the few days it'd been since the incident, she knew he was nearby. She had the traditional Japanese song Sakura, Sakura stuck in her mind and she hummed it quietly to herself as she watched from the walking path a group of kids, much the same age as herself, struggle with some cheap kites. From what she could tell, the plastic and wooden bits weren't entirely put together properly. Nor did they run enough. The pitiful plastic butterfly, caterpillar, and pirate sword would never catch enough wind if they didn't really run.

The college-aged kids seemed to be having fun either way, but it made Ghost a bit sad. She knew she could help so she gathered her courage and ran up to the group of people, all humans as far as she could tell- two girls and one boy. She smiled shyly and exchanged some words. They were friendly enough to let her help fix the kites' cross bars and offer her advice about running, but she could tell by their body language that she shouldn't stick around. It seemed the two girls were both rather attached to the young man, and Ghost didn't mean to cause that kind of trouble.

So Ghost walked back toward the path with a spring in her step, her good deed done. Except that as much as she wanted to leave, she wanted to see those kites soar. The students were providing feeble attempts and, though the wind was strong, it could not make up for their ineptitude. They were just kite novices.

Normally, she didn't do this type of thing, but she was in a good mood. The sun was bright and the air was clear. Why couldn't she help out a few helpless humans? Ghost hopped onto one of the short green metal fence segments and made herself comfortable as she watched the successful kite-fliers and the not-so successful ones. She concentrated as the students ran. She redirected a bit of wind, running a stream of air over the top of the cheap plastic kites one by one. One by one they responded, the film of plastic providing enough lift to vault the kites into the air and join their more esteemed colleges.

Ghost smiled and kicked her feet at her success. It was such a little thing, but it added to her good mood.

Still positioned peacefully against the weary willow the elementals azure eyes had silently slid to a close as the warmth of the day had gradually taken its toll and persuaded him to rest; leading the mercenary’s mind to that precarious point between sleep and awareness. He had retained enough presence of mind to continue perceiving his environment, but he no longer cared enough to follow each and every event in his vicinity. His attention was turned to far simpler matters; the texture of the grass between his fingers, the presence of the elderly tree at his back, the refreshing scents which filtered through the leaves around him and even the myriad of sounds which were carried on the wind..

Icy cobalt eyes snapped open, instantly dispelling the elemental from his torpid trance as his mind came into rapt focus and immediately scattered its awareness through the air. The wind had changed, something had caused the currents to subtly shift from their predetermined course, flow in a manner that was in no way natural and it captured Zephyr’s attention in a manner akin to the dull whine of a mosquito. It was the somewhat annoying sensation he experienced each time his gift was utilized and for the most part it was something he had learned to ignore. On this occasion however his own mutation was in no way active, meaning there was another who shared his talents.

In the relatively short period in which he had gained his powers Simon had never come across another like himself, of all the mutants he had encountered none had shared his elemental affinity. There had never been anyone to measure himself against, to help him determine where he stood in the in the development of his mutation and how much he had yet to achieve. Only one of the mutations he had stumbled across in the past few years had ever come close to his field; a pair of twins with the ability to amplify and redirect sound waves. Although their social skills had been somewhat lacking at the time the diminutive duo had actually aided the merc in the development of his own abilities and so the arrival of another possible air elemental was met with considerable interest.

Maintaining his indolent pose within the willows folds Zephyr’s eyes slowly slid shut once more as he concentrated upon this latest development; scouring the surrounding airstreams as he sought out the source of the alteration which had attracted his attention. The process itself took a few moments for the manipulation at hand was quite faint, yet in short order the elementals focus was swiftly drawn to the peerless patch of sky containing the kites he had only idly registered beforehand. A simple breeze had been conjured into existence around several of the hovering toys, granting them just enough lift to hover but very little else, the force being exerted was in fact so slight that he was unable to trace the aberrant currents to their creator.

Opening his eyes once more Simon cast his gaze down towards the fliers of the kites, they ranged in age from what was possibly middle school to aged grandfathers, each of them appearing understandably cheered with the unusual success of their of their kites. However it was a collection of college students which held the merc’s interest; a simple glance along their strings revealed that their toys had obviously been poorly crafted and had no business acting as they were. It was therefore likely that the individual he sought was among the carefree trio, and so it was with that thought in mind that the elemental deftly extended his own influence over the air; strangling the unnatural currents and causing the weaker kites to fall from the sky as his azure eyes peered through the mesh of leaves to scan the college students and others nearby for signs of surprise.

Ghost blinked a few times. Curiously her conjured breeze suddenly squelched out of existence making the fragile plastic kites drift like leaves toward the ground. Air currents were finicky and chaotic, but never had they successfully resisted her will. It was... curious. Her head lilted to the side slightly as she tried to think of possible causes.

It was only a faint aberration, but honestly, the stream should have existed as long as she fed her power toward it. She just couldn't decide what had cut into her power and stopped the breeze. At this point it was no longer about making people happy or even really the kites at all, it was a failure of power. A scenario she'd never experienced before. She was... confused. She was sure that she was missing some vital information somewhere. So she would try the experiment again.

Ghost shifted her weight and hooked her ankles around the lower bar of the green painted fence segment. She never relied on hand motions or physical tells to utilize her power, secrecy had been vital to her existence in Japan. If she were to expose herself, it was not only her secret that would be exposed and so power use was instinctively a surreptitious event.

The kite fliers caught the drifting kites, disappointed that their fun had been cut short. Ghost waited until the students decided to try again. For a moment they delayed, deciding if they should continue, but finally they set up the kites and ran. As soon as the kites were able to catch wind she focused her power. Again, the stream of air ran along the tops of the film of plastic and vaulted them into the air. Ghost tightly gripped the pipe material that made the fence segment on which she was sitting. She was keenly focused this time. She wouldn't let the kites out of her sight and she definitely wouldn't let the slip stream of air die without finding the reason. Her senses were on high alert.

As the three poorly crafted kites descended gently Zephyr’s sharp gaze remained fixed on the toys operators. Although his view was admittedly impaired somewhat his azure eyes were able to detect the evident traces of disappoint on the college students faces, yet that was all it was; disappointment. There was no expression of shock or confusion, no sign of strain or fatigue, the trio were simply dismayed that their fun had come to a premature end, nothing more and nothing less. It was a something of an annoyance to be honest for it meant that the elemental was now required to expand his scope to each and every individual in the park

Still, the foreign presence had come from somewhere in the nearby vicinity, the kites were only visible from within the park after all. Swiftly the elementals azure orbs scanned multitude of individuals scattered throughout the park; although the merc had no way of knowing who his target might be, it was a relatively safe bet that they would have been observing the aerial display in some manner and so Zephyr’s gaze rapidly swept his surroundings, identifying those whose eyes were still focused on the frail falling kites and dismissing others whose attention was elsewhere. This was, thankfully, not as difficult a task as it might sound; for although the park was by no means barren the large majority of those visiting were engaged in their own activities. Whether it was a light constitutional around one of the many ponds, a day out with your significant other or an aggressive game of soccer in one of the few flat areas of the park most people had little time or incentive to indulge in the role observer. There was however, an exception to this pattern; when the park had been remolded after one of its more recent run-ins with the mutant population it had been graced with a pair of volleyball courts, and today simply happened to be one of the days that the NYU women’s volleyball team had selected for practice. Needless to say such a game had attracted a large amount of attention from the young men in the area and, Zephyr noted with some amusement, a significant number of young women as well.

Whatever the audiences various interests might be Zephyr was glad for the spectacle the volleyball players presented; nearly every wandering eye was drawn in their direction except for a handful of likely candidates.

In the short time it had taken the elemental to reanalyze his potential targets the tedious trio below his position had at last chosen to attempt another aerial voyage. As the carefree college students engaged in their endeavor Simon once again allowed his ice blue orbs to close as he dispersed his awareness throughout the wind; seeking out any trace of the foreign presence he had felt mere minutes before. The possibility that his fellow elemental would fail to reappearance did not even register in the mercenary’s mind, after all how often does a mutant encounter another with their same mutation? It was a scenario that would hold appeal to even the slightest inquisitive mind.

The disturbance came far more swiftly this time, within seconds of leaving their owners hands the kites were consumed as unnatural currents of air swirled into existence and hurriedly propelled them through the sky until they rivaled the positions of their peers and strained against the ends of their strings. It was easy to tell that level of influence within the wind had intensified and as Simon rapidly brought his attention to bear upon the synthetic winds his lips twitched upwards almost imperceivably, whoever his fellow wind manipulator was they had taken his bait and raised their game, conveniently granting him a trail, which although still faint, was enough for him to discern a general direction and that was all he needed as azure eyes flipped open and focused on a vague figure through the branches of the willow.

‘Got you.’

A ghost of a grin etched itself upon the mercenary’s features as he shifted his weight and rose smoothly his feet, idly brushing himself off as he slowly walked through the veil of leaves and seated himself just beyond its range. Simon had no intention of approaching his target just yet; he was simply keen to discover the identity of his fellow elemental and so he made no effort to disguise his stare.

What drew his attention first and foremost was the fact that the subject in question was female, a rather diminutive specimen if truth be told, though this seemed to be a running trend among nearly all the female mutants he had encountered. What was striking about this particular subject though was her hair; a startling shade of ivory white which reminded him of snow. She was clothed in a pale green tank top along with a loose alabaster skirt which hung loosely to her form and would have been considered somewhat risqué if the wearer in question were not capable of influencing the winds. The girl had perched herself upon a low section of metal fencing and was gazing intently upon the airborne kites, as though waiting for something to happen…

Seeing no reason to disappoint the girl Simon turned his attention to the kites as well and once again attempted to sabotage the unknown girls effort. Another performance of brute force would have been rather dull, something different was called for this time to keep the girl on her toes. Narrowing his gaze Simon utilized his mutation once more as he began to manipulate his element; seeking to unravel the unnatural air currents he felt; picking them apart at any point he could to siphon and divert the energy. It was admittedly a slow approach however the affects of such a tactic would swiftly accumulate if not dealt with.

After a moment the azure eyed elemental tore his gaze from the fluttering toys overhead and cast and refocused upon the ivory haired girl, waiting to her to see if she would notice him as he continued to interfere with her efforts.

Ghost remained keenly focused on the tawdry kites, expecting... well, something. As she waited, subconsciously she tensed. Outwardly, she gripped the fence pole, stiff and alert with every fiber of her being. Things were going smoothly this time, but she felt anxious for some reason. Why had her power hiccuped before? There was no logical explanation that her mind could decipher.

And then it happened... there it was again! Ghost startled at the power, jumping from her perch and taking a step forward before she had any idea her body was moving. She narrowed her eyes. It was subtle this time. She would have missed it if she had not been on high alert. Realizing her body had taken action, Ghost halted herself from further exertion. She looked around then, embarrassed. She became even more embarrassed when her eyes locked on a boy... well, a male around her age. He was making no effort to hide the fact that his piercing blue eyes were locked onto her. Normally she might take offense or blush, but she noticed that his lips were quirked with a curiously faint smile on his face. A full two seconds ticked by before things clicked into place in Ghost's mind.

Someone was doing this? She tensed like a rabbit being stalked by a great predator. She looked swiftly between the kites that were fluttering pitifully toward the ground and the boy. Her every muscle tensed to spring. An air elemental. She'd never known another, never considered the possibility. Of course there were others! She felt ridiculous for even thinking she was unique.

She didn't bother defending the kites now that she knew the cause of their ailment. It was no power flaw of hers - it was a fellow air manipulator's assertion of will. Ghost heard cries of disappointment from the group of kids, but did not bother to help them. They were only kites. She'd found something much more interesting on which she could focus her attentions.

A massive cheer drifted past her ears, carried on a lazy breeze from the volleyball game. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the elemental who had interrupted her charitable kite time. No one else in the world seemed to notice the two or their subtle test of powers. No one even seemed to sense the inherent danger of two mutants meeting for the first time. Her toes gripped into the grass covered loam. Ghost had left her flip-flops somewhere between the bus stop and the jogging paths, stashed in a safe place so that maybe they would be there when she returned. The feeling of the grass against the soles of her feet comforted her slightly.

After a lengthy moment of hesitation, Ghost forcibly straightened herself into a more casual and relaxed standing position. Her first instinct was to run. But if he was an air elemental perhaps he could follow or worse scatter her incorporeal self to the far corners of her mental limit. Her second instinct was that she was being ridiculous. Ghost had many more positive encounters with mutants than negative ones. She swallowed, unsure of how to approach the situation. She'd gotten too used to the safety net of being able to run away at her whim. And perhaps she was being overly cautious. The whole idea had just caught her so totally by surprise. She shook her head as she finally made her decision.

She bowed slightly in the brown-haired boy's direction: a simple greeting that transferred across distances and needed no words.

A low chuckle sounded from the elementals throat as his counterpart visibly jumped in shock; curiosity had altered the mercenary’s usually apathetic mannerisms and he now found himself in an almost benign mood. As such his ghostly grin only gained prominence as the girl’s tawny gaze locked with his own, it was quite amusing really, he could actually pinpoint the exact moment comprehension dawned over the womans features; the way her brow rose and her eyes widened the way her jaw dropped… and then something else, a hint of fear? The girls entire body had tensed, her posture shifting and for a brief moment Simon felt she would run, yet whatever thoughts were running through the gamines mind swiftly came a conclusion and the look of panic faded as quickly as it had arrived and with it went the foreign presence in the wind which had initially attracted the elementals attention.

As the echoes of a massed cheer reverberated around the park Zephyr’s attention shifted not one iota as his azure eyes remained fixed on the individual before him. How to proceed? That indeed was the question, certainly he didn’t want the girl to run; that would only cause an unnecessary expenditure of effort and reestablish the gamines sense of fear when he caught her, and he would catch her, such an event was therefore to be avoided. Ideally he would find a way to make the gamine approach him, thereby giving her the illusion of control and reducing any feelings of unease she might currently possess. Irritatingly though Simon had no way of knowing if his white haired counterpart felt the same curiosity he did, quite the contrary, he already knew that the girl felt uncomfortable in his presence and so it was distinctly possible that she would flee at the first opportunity, which as already mentioned was a situation to be avoided, no, what he needed was some sign that this mysterious ingénue felt at least a fraction of the fascination that he himself did something like…

A bow?

It was an unusually gesture, no doubt about it and the elemental couldn’t refrain from raising an inquisitive brow. The motion would not have been quite so suspect had the girl been of Asian descent, yet as his sapphire eyes once again traced her delicate features Zephyr could find no hint of such ethnicity. Still no matter what the gesturers origin a bow still conveyed a form of respect and a sense of greeting, so the girl was at least polite if nothing else. If that were the case perhaps a similar response would appeal to her.

Maintaining his intrigued smile Simon inclined his head in his counterpart’s direction, doing so slowly in order to ensure the girl caught the gesture. Once the desired action had been performed the hazel haired mercenary idly raised his gaze to reestablish eye contact before casually tilting his head off to the left and shifting his cobalt gaze towards a currently abandoned bench in the same direction before deftly rising to his feet and began to wander towards his new seat. He would give the mysterious girl a choice, at least initially, his good mood though would not outlive his curiosity; if the girl chose to run well… hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. In either case the elemental had focused his spatial awareness on the area surrounding his intriguing counterpart and as he felt her approach the grin on his lips delved into a slight smirk; he’d guessed correctly it seemed, the girl was just as fascinated by this turn of events as he was.

“Take a seat, I won’t bite”

Never sure of how to respond to mutants outside of the safe environment of the mansion, Ghost watched every tilt of the boy's head, every adjustment to demeanor. Every step and breath Zephyr took she added to her knowledge base.

Ghost knew Japanese customs as well as she knew American customs and it was this knowledge that made her prefer Japanese mannerisms. A bow had a much more sincere quality that other forms of greeting lacked. Not only did she agree with the inherently peaceful sentiment the action provided, but its instinctively submissive quality typically helped to convince others of her genuineness. Every time she greeted a mutant she had the sneaking suspicion that they always had the upper hand.

He indicated neutral ground, a bench far enough from the casual eavesdropper, with a nod and a glance. His movements were precise and efficient, but slow and cautious. He was being careful not to scare her now, but it was too late. He had clearly displayed his domination over her faint stream of air. Sure, the aberration she had conjured surely hadn't much strength, but his contentious movements were not enough to quell the uneasy feeling that he could systematically destroy her. He had snuffed her power like a candle, what did he expect? He rose then and languidly took a seat on the bench facing away from her position. Despite the fact that they had hardly looked away from each other, now he contentedly sat and waited without a single backward glance.

It was a mockery of a choice. If even she could sense the movements of masses through air, she assumed that he could too. He may have been facing the opposite direction, but she felt that he was still watching in a very real sense. She would. Perhaps this was his way of letting her know that if she ran now, he would let her go. She snorted. This was ridiculous. She wasn't going to run because she was convinced that running would do her no good. Though her body protested, her mind decided. He hadn't done enough to trigger this much anxiety. She was clearly overreacting. Curiosity was bound to do her in one day. Today really could be that day.

As she quietly approached the neutral territory, she took in the details that had been unclear when the man had been seated. The most interesting thing she noted was that he wore rather nice looking slacks, but his feet were sheathed in grimy tennis shoes that'd seen better days. She hesitated just out of arms length from the bench. Seeming to sense her hesitation he spoke, "Take a seat, I won't bite." Well, that at least confirmed her suspicions that he was in fact still watching. The words that he chose held an interestingly predatory nature. Were they supposed to bite each other now? Would they be forced to throw punches if their powers canceled each other out? She surely hoped not.

"If you're trying to allay my fears," She danced around the bench, sliding her hand along her backside to deftly tuck her skirt beneath her as she sat. "A simple 'Hello, my name is...' would have worked wonders." Her enunciation was the immaculate speech of a person who had lived abroad, T's and R's crisply pronounced, though her L's sounded very softly like D's.

Leaning languidly against the bench Zephyr silently schooled his features into a more genial expression as he responded to the girls comment with an indolent shrug. It was a subtle thing but the azure eyed mercenary was able to detect a faint accent in the girls words; just a hair stronger than his own British brogue the woman’s careful articulation was sufficient to mark her as one who had spent considerable time outside the states, likely China or Japan if her earlier behavior was any indication. Such information, while not immediately relevant, was still interesting as it allowed him to piece together a possible history for his snow haired counterpart, in order to do so with any degree of accuracy though he would require more information from his new companion and thus a reply was needed.

“I think the line worked rather well, you’re here after all…” The elemental attempted to make his response as nonchalant as possible however he could not quite suppress the smug tone in his voice, this entire scenario was an empty courtesy after all. The girl would have met with him one way or another, it just so happened that that this method required less effort. “however I do get your point.” Shifting in his seat to face the girl properly he reached out a hand as he introduced himself, “You may call me Zephyr, it is obviously not my real name but the moniker shall suffice for now miss…?” His words trailed off as he waited for his mysterious companion to identify herself.

As he waited for the girl to return his introduction Simon took the opportunity to study the girls features, her skin was slightly paler than he’d originally thought, nowhere near the shade of her ivory hair but still enough to be commented on. Her expression was neither hostile nor affable yet her eyes held an element of caution; perfectly understandable given the situation and it served to remind the Argus eyed merc that he would do best to refrain from any aggressive gestures or displays. With such a near proximity he was also able to take note of her build for the first time and although his eyes remained fixed on the girls face Simon’s peripheral vision was enough for him to tell that his companions… assets, were rather modest in comparison to her actual height yet she was still far from unattractive.

There was also something else about the girl, something he 'd failed to pick up on originally since he hadn’t been looking, but now he was closer the elementals senses were able to detect large traces of gases dispersed throughout his counterpart’s body and the discovery caused the merc to frown almost imperceptibly as he considered the possible implications.

He had the right words and he seemed sympathetic enough yet she felt somehow there was little sincerity behind those words. Her discomfort sat like a rock in her stomach. Ghost hesitated but before it became an awkward situation she shook his hand with a firm grip and solid eye contact. "Ghost..." She supplied her own code name when prompted, "It's interesting to meet you Mister Zephyr."

She noticed the difference between their skin tones as their hands met. He said nothing of the coolness of her skin and she said nothing of the contrast she'd noticed between their shadows. The shadow cast from their handshake brought their physical conditions into sharp contrast. She hoped he wouldn't notice that his shadow was the normal strong black. His flesh blocked the sun's rays as a normal human's might. Ghost's shadow was almost as dark. Her flesh filtered the light of the sun. Only a little light slipped through, but the difference was there. She was at all times very slightly insubstantial.

Suspecting that even though they had similar talents that their areas of expertise may indeed be different, she began to postulate about the man. Zephyr didn't feel very... free. He seemed wholly solid at all times. Of course that could possibly be due to complete, stoic control over his element, but she almost felt that it might be due to his personality. She'd only met him just now and she already thought the way he handled himself and his gift was... well, fierce.

This guy was so... intense! With the slightest shift of his eyes he was able to make her feel wholly inferior and at the same time entirely exposed. Outwardly he looked so unconcerned, but he had to be as curious as she was. She smiled tentatively, unsure if she would ever be able to relax in this one's presence. That wouldn't stop her from trying. "I- I've never met anyone with a similar gift..."

Zephyr’s puzzled frown remained in place, his gaze focused on his counterpart face as the girl hesitantly shook his hand and then swiftly released him. Idly some part of the elemental’s mind wondered if the gamine was always so timid in her social discourse; after all he’d hardly acted in a manner which could be called intimidating and while it was only natural to expect some level of apprehension on her part the azure eyed merc felt that she was over reacting somewhat. Still, there was a level of amusement to her behavior and so Simon was willing to let it run its course.

"Ghost… It's interesting to meet you Mister Zephyr."[/color]

The elemental in question tilted his head slightly as the girl supplied her soubriquet and regarded her with a measuring look. It wasn’t often that he came across another mutant with an alias, often they simply gave their real names with little to no thought of what could be done with such information. Considering the ease with which this “Ghost” had delivered her pseudonym it was one she had been using for some time. This in itself was not terribly enlightening; it merely told the merc that she had a reason to be cautious with her identity, however, most mutants tended to grant themselves monikers which were in some way related to their abilities, he himself was a perfect example. Zephyr therefore found his companions choice of alias to be a rather… curious given her mutation. One could of course argue that the name had been selected due to airs lack of substance or free flowing nature. Simon however knew better, and considering what he’d seen from the girl she did as well; air could display just as much substance or strength as almost any given solid, nature provided ample evidence of this yet it was still often considered a weaker element.

Still the selection was a matter of personal preference and though Zephyr was admittedly somewhat hubristic he was not at the point where he expected everyone to share his views. The matter was only of mild interest in any case; far more compelling was the substantial sum of air he could sense within Ghost’s body. It wasn’t simply located in the girls lungs, if it had there would have been little cause for his inquisitive examination, the gases were dispersed throughout her entire body; her limbs, chest and head all contained considerable amounts of air to the point where his elemental view of her was hazed. In fact, as far as the merc was able to tell, his snow haired companion didn’t seem to displace air like everyone around her, quite the contrary, it was almost as though she absorbed it and such a trail of thought led the Kabal member to wonder what would happen if he tried to extract…

"I- I've never met anyone with a similar gift..."[/color]

Broken from his internal machinations Simon blinked, his attention split as he focused on what Ghost had just said. He recovered swiftly though, leaning back in his seat as he recalled the only two mutants who had ever come close to matching his mutation “Neither have I, though if you ever encounter a pair of redhead twins I would ask that you give them a lesson in manners, they are rather less polite than you are.” At this point the directed his gaze back to his companions and gave her a measuring look.

“That is of course assuming you can create a vacuum?”

She was very careful not to use any power, but she was so intensely curious. She was itching to probe with the extra sense that their element usually allowed, but she was afraid to be rude. Zephyr, as he called himself, was so... solid. Even without testing it she could sense the difference. She was unclear on what that meant, though. Perhaps he was just in more complete control over the element.

Zephyr was careful and she could see the intelligence behind his eyes as he ran through ideas in his mind. Of course she would have no way of knowing that those ideas included possible siphoning out part of her essential being. She rather preferred to think the best of people. Besides she was considering what manner of person this Zephyr might be. He was just seemed so... seasoned. Whereas she always felt one step behind.

“Neither have I," he answered her slowly, "though if you ever encounter a pair of redhead twins I would ask that you give them a lesson in manners, they are rather less polite than you are.” She dipped her head slightly in acknowledgment of the compliment. Politeness really seemed to go a long way with certain people. At the mention of two read-headed twins, Ghost's mind flashed to a moment when she'd been clamoring into one of the trucks after the carnage at the camps. There had been two red heads there, obviously just reunited. She hadn't thought of that experience for some time, though surely it was coincidence. The only thing she remembered from the ride to Mondragon Labs was a song one had hummed to the other. It had brought her comfort when she had most needed it. How could they be bad? Surely it must've been some others to which he referred.

He caught her eye again and it was a quantifying look. She sincerely hoped she wasn't disappointing. “That is of course assuming you can create a vacuum?” She smiled again ducking her head slightly. She knew they'd have to talk specifics at some point.

"It's easier to create a vacuum in a more enclosed space where there are fewer variables. If you're speaking of a concentrated vacuum meant to incapacitate... Localizing a vacuum in a place like this would prove a bit more difficult for me." Another light bulb clicked on behind her wide amber eyes. "They're sound users..." It made sense if it was the song that had radiated comfort. She hadn't thought of it in that light before. Ghost shifted in her seat pulling her legs up beneath her to become more comfortable. It was easier to just 'talk shop' and not try to figure the other elemental out. He was too guarded and she was too clumsy to say the right words that would draw out any answers she wanted. She'd have to play his game.

"The twins you mentioned." She clarified quickly. "You've fought them using a vacuum because sound cannot exist in the absence of air... smart." She reached her conclusion out loud so that he would follow her reasoning and hopefully confirm its validity. She made several mental notes then: the red heads were apparently bad and he had handed her clue on how to defend herself against them. Maybe this Zephyr wasn't as bad as he initially seemed.

Zephyr’s appraising gaze remained unchanging, his features quiescent as he took in his companions words. Though he’d had no real way to prove it the merc had already suspected that he was the stronger of the two. This assumption had been drawn partially from their brief battle with the kites as well as from girl’s timid nature, though admittedly arrogance may also have played some minor role in the presumption. From what Ghost was saying though it seemed that he also had the upper hand when it came to control, a matter he had not been entirely certain of.

Creating a vacuum was not a terribly draining exercise, at least not physically; one was not attempting to move the air any great distance as they would with a gale or sudden gust and so very little energy was actually needed. What was required though was strong mental hold over the air particles which encapsulated the vacuum, in truth it was somewhat akin to a juggling act; the larger the surface area of the void the greater the number particles which must be kept in place, and even the greatest juggler could only keep track of so many objects. It was an obstacle that Zephyr had found quite irritating when he’d first begun honing the ability, for this was an aspect of his gift which was limited, not by his power, but his intelligence, and the human mind can only comprehend so much at one time. There were of course ways to mitigate the mental stress; visualization, meditation, even structuring the outer shell in certain ways alleviated the amount of concentration necessary but there was still a definite limit. It irked the elemental but he had come to accept the fact, aside from his rather unpleasant encounter with the twins he only ever used the ability when he was seeking a measure of solitude.

“They’re sound users…”[/color]

Shaken from his internal reverie Zephyr tilted his head slightly to one side as he glanced down at his companion in a puzzled manner, wondering what had prompted the odd discourse before his mind swiftly recalled that he had not mentioned the tenacious twins mutation, simply one of their foibles. Still, he had released enough information for one to speculate upon the diminutive abilities and Ghost had proceeded to do precisely that; correctly surmising not only the redheads powers but also the physics behind their weakness. Despite the accuracy of her comments though it was clear that the girl was not entirely confident with her conclusion, her voice held too much hesitation and the tone of her voice put the mercenary in mind of a student deferring to a teacher for verification of an answer and so the elemental felt somewhat obliged to nod his head slightly in confirmation and offer a modest “Thank you.”

His counterpart, it seemed, was capable of at least mild bouts of intelligence and considering some of the company the Kabal member had been forced to keep well, suffice to say that the ivory haired girl had managed to place herself leaps and bounds above many of the elementals associates. An intelligent, let alone civil conversation was difficult to come by in this city, yet this one also had the added benefit of interesting as well. He was still very much compelled by curiosity to discern precisely what this “Ghost” was and was not capable of, the discussion thus far had only just scratched the surface of what an air elemental could achieve. The girl hadn’t shown any reservation in discussing her abilities thus far and that at least was encouraging, it would have been rather tedious to jump around the subject throughout their entire conversation. The difficulty now was in determining how to proceed, how best to persuade his companion to reveal her “ace” as it were, for although they shared the same element that did not necessarily posses the same abilities. It would be far more productive to have the girl talk about herself.

Crossing his arms atop his chest Zephyr raised a hand to his chin in a contemplative gesture; he normally didn’t go out of his way to showcase his abilities to others, such things only tended to increase the difficulty of his line of work. In this case however he felt some degree of showboating would not be completely amiss, in fact it would help demonstrate his point. “I would advise against concentrated vacuums; they’re rarely worth the effort.” In fact, since few creatures had evolved to deal with depressurization the results of such a vacuum were usually rather messy. “Instead I would suggest that you reshape it in this manner…” Allowing his voice to trail off the elemental swiftly scanned the immediate area to ensure that it was clear of itinerant individuals, then his azure eyes narrowed briefly as he focused on crafting the air to his will, deftly constructing a barrier of emptiness roughly four meters in diameter around his person immediately. The vacuum was less than an inch in thickness yet it halted the light breeze and ceased all external sound, ensuring their conversation remained private.

“..however that is merely my preference and so neither here nor there.” With a slight shrug to demonstrate his indifference to the subject the elemental abruptly changed tact. “So, Ghost, aside from levitating kites and creating vacuums what tricks do you posses, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Ghost watched Zephyr's eyes with growing enthusiasm. She'd given up watching his facial features which seemed somewhat muted. There were only subtle changes there: a tilt of the head, a quick flash of puzzlement, appraisement. No, what she was really interested in was equally subtle but telling in a different way. It was interesting to watch the way his eyes focused sharply and then sometimes not so sharply. Often the blue iris of his eye would jerk slightly to the side as, she assumed, he changed topics or ideas in his internal dialogue. Everyone had their own internal dialogue. It was just so interesting to see it happen. She'd never wished to be a telepath until this moment.

“I would advise against concentrated vacuums; they’re rarely worth the effort.” Zephyr, the wise sage of elemental mastery, imparted his words of wisdom upon the hungry ears of Ghost. She nodded along sanguinely. She'd exploded a pigeon or two in her day much to the chagrin of her mother.

“Instead I would suggest that you reshape it in this manner…” Zephyr trailed off theatrically and let his actions do the speaking. He checked for obvious onlookers and, seeing none, he narrowed his eyes. Ghost felt the breath of his power take shape as a sort of bubble. A thin double walled bubble with a vacuum between the filmy membranes. The result was a perfectly private conversation.

“..however that is merely my preference and so neither here nor there.” He shrugged as if his control were effortless and it was easy to believe. Ghost grinned in earnest now revealing her honest and slightly lopsided, one dimple smile. She clapped her hands appreciatively at the task he had preformed. She'd never thought of using a vacuum in this manner, but she found it very amusing that he felt the need to look around before accomplishing a task that was entirely invisible to normal people. Always hungry to add to her knowledge, she tucked this little maneuver away in the back of her mind for later experimentation.

“So, Ghost, aside from levitating kites and creating vacuums what tricks do you posses, if you don’t mind me asking?”

She mirth curbed slightly and she reached up to scratch feebly at her snowy hair. "I'm almost afraid to say." She admitted. "I'm pretty sure that I'm outclassed." Even if she weren't the weaker of the two, it was always best to hold out some kind of surprise. Zephyr seemed very cerebral about things. Aside from the fact that she'd hardly seen combat or anything like it, she'd mostly learned to subdue her talents, to only use them subtly and discreetly, and even then she'd mostly practiced with people who had skills very unlike her own. Zephyr was the first person to be able to show her something new that instantly made sense and best of all was immediately applicable.

"Besides, if I told you all my tricks then I'd have to assign words to them. How do you name something that comes naturally? Isn't it easier to do as you have?" She motioned to the invisible barrier around the pair. Visually, it was undetectable, but to the two of them it was as plain as day. "If I may follow your precedent?"

She simpered. "Nothing harmful. Promise." Ghost added as an afterthought, though he was clearly unintimidated by her. She politely waited for assent before proceeding.

She delved into her power then, feeling very acutely the molecules of their element and the particles suspended there. It was intimidating to open her mind fully and so she focused solely on the area within the bubble. Carefully she de-clumped and re-clumped the elements as she wished. The chemical makeup was simple: two to one ratio of tangy tasting and clean tasting fragments. If she stopped to think about it she would know that she was combining hydrogen and oxygen, but Ghost tended to do things by feel rather than forcing her knowledge to bend their element to her will. More and more she piled the fragments together until the condensation was too heavy to remain suspended in their small bubble's atmosphere. Tiny droplets of moisture fell in random patterns along their clothing. There was only one that she bothered to build in a specific location and that droplet fell right on Zephyr's nose. It was a mentally engaging exercise, one she'd often practiced in reverse.

It could hardly be called a rain shower as only a small quantity of droplets fell, but it took a certain amount of finesse and a rather lot of control to martial that many different points of interest at once. Ghost rubbed the place between her eyebrows in attempts to help unknit her brow. Zephyr could make things look effortless, but Ghost was in no way an actress. It was a slight mental strain, however, and as soon as she was able to relax her features the minute headache had faded. That would have been easier had she been incorporeal.

"Your turn." She offered cheerily. For every trick he showed her, she would return the favor as best she could.

Still enclosed within the silent shell he had crafted Zephyrs arms remained crossed about his chest as his azure eyes fixed themselves upon those of his companion with his brow raised in a quizzical manner. Although he had intended for his demonstration to be something of icebreaker between the two of them Ghost’s exact reaction had been slightly more enthusiastic than he had expected. The expression on the girls face put the elemental in mind of a child who had just witnessed a pleasing magic trick, which he supposed she just had. Still though the applause was a bit much, even if it were the first time his talents had been complimented with such a gesture.

When it came time for his companion to display one of her own abilities she seemed almost at a loss as to what she should do and Zephyr could sympathize with that to an extent. After all in most cases a mutants power was unique and so almost any display of said power was likely to be something your audience has not encountered before. This instance however was far from the status quo, the chances of two mutants running across each other by random were slim enough but for them to have the same gift? It was almost unheard of. As for their current game of show and tell well, it would be fair to say it complicated matters somewhat for it was obvious to both of them that the other would not be impressed or surprised by the usual bursts of air or sudden gusts they typically relied upon in such matters. They were both having to improvise and think on their feet for the most abstract techniques they had created with their talents. In addition though it was also important to consider the fact that his companion might possess a few tricks she’d rather not reveal, for his part the elemental himself had no intention of revealing his ability to manipulate fire or create ice, the latter was simply too draining to be used casually and the former was just a technique he was attempting to keep under wraps for the moment.

Despite her initial difficulty though Ghost swiftly seemed to overcome her initial hesitation as she decided upon which aspect of her mutation she wished to showcase, even going so far as to ask for his assent before beginning what she assured him was harmless display. And so with only a shadow of amusement on features the merc nodded his head almost imperceptibly before casting his attention towards his element. It was subtle at first, only a slight suggestion of unnatural movement within the artificial atmosphere but as he focused upon the spectrum of gases within the silent sphere Simon felt that Ghosts energy was concentrated on two specific elements. Before his analysis could proceed any further however he was covered in fine spray of water, with an especially large droplet landing on his nose causing him to blink and jerk his head slightly at the sudden sensation.

‘Well, that was unexpected.’

It took the Kabal member only a moment to discern what had happened, the chemical formula for water was hardly a secret after all and considering what he had felt moment before it was no great leap of logic to understand what the girl had one. Raising a hand to wipe the excess moisture from his face he cast his gaze back towards his ivory haired partner and gave her a dry look which was complimented by his tone, “An interesting concept, however I’m sure your demonstration would have been just as effective with a different target.” A certain emphasis was placed on the final two words but other than that the elementals tone was not overly chastising. In actuality the merc was somewhat pleased that the girl had chosen a discipline he himself had not practiced before, theoretically the action was simple enough but judging from Ghosts behavior the technique took something of a mental toll. Still the technique was not without merit and Zephyr made a mental note to acquaint himself with it in the future.

Practice session however could wait until later, for as Ghost had so subtly mentioned it was indeed his turn and so with a slight “hmm” of contemplation he cast his thoughts out to ponder what he should disclose next. He had already dismissed the possibility of displaying his talents in regard to fire and ice, Simon was also reluctant to demonstrate any of his more destructive abilities, if only because he was unsure how ghost would react. Sadly though that left him with some rather sparse options; he could try flight but in such a public area there was good chance he would be noticed and the elemental wanted to avoid a scene if possible, having said that though he was really only left with one choice…

‘Why not, it may not be perfect but she should be able to get the crux of the idea’

Searching through the pockets of his coat for a few moments Zephyr eventually withdrew two items, the first of which was a stainless steel parker pen and the other a slim spiral bound notebook with a simple plastic cover. After taking another cursory glance at their surroundings to ensure no one was paying them any undue attention Simon flipped the notebook to a blank page and balanced the pen on the palm of his hand, “I’m still working out a few flaws with this but hopefully it should work.” With that said the elemental exhaled slowly and focused his eyes upon the silver writing instrument; manipulating the air around it into a rigid shell with matched the cylindrical objects contours precisely. Then once he was certain the casing held no cracks or flaws he gradually extended his influence, urging the sheath to rise through the air and follow a predetermined pattern which inevitably brought the pen into contact with the paper pad and, after perhaps a minute of somewhat jerky movements, the pen departed from the paper and simply for a brief moment before the elemental plucked it from the air and finally allowed his furrowed brow to relax. When he surveyed his work however a slight frown adorned his lips, but he made no comment and instead turned the notebook towards where a short phrase had been written as though with a ruler.

“Would you care for a change of venue?”